First fertility appt..any ideas what to expect?

[loopylew]

DH and I have our first fertility appt with consultant on the 17th July when we'll have been ttc for 11 months. Does anyone know what to expect? will it just be form filling the first time?
I was hoping they might book me in for tests etc, i've had most tests that GP can do already and DH has had sper tests done which are all ok.

 

[NeyNey]

My first Gyno appointment they did more blood tests, for pcos and things like that. They will likely also get a history from you and DH. Basically they will tell you what they are going to try, and rule out all the fertility issues they commonly see.

Lots of luck Sweetie

 

[FJL]

Before our first FS appointment i'd previously had a 21 day progesterone test which was fine and DH had 3 sperm tests all showing low motility and 2 of them showing low count and poor morphology.

So for our first appointment it was filling out paperwork where they ask you to state how long you've been trying, what your job is, your age, any medical conditions, when your last pap smear and breast examination was, if you've had surgery before, if you've ever been pregnant or if your DH has fathered a child before etc.

Our FS then booked me up to have a number of things done including hormonal blood test, laparoscopy, hysteroscopy, uteral biopsy, dye test, D&C and pelvic ultra sound. All of that turned out to be normal. He then wanted to put me on clomid for 6 months and if that didn't work then go to IUI then to IVF. I saw clomid pointless as I already ovulate so then we went to FS #2.

With the new FS it was all the paperwork but he had all our history and test results etc. He talked to us about our options which are limited to IVF or ICSI. He also requested bloods from both of us and organised a scientific sperm test for DH.

So I would guess that your FS would want you to undergo all the tests that I had to undergo to see if they can find anything wrong with you such as endometriosis, ovary cysts, fibroids, unbalanced hormones etc. From there I would say they would work out treatment. If nothing is wrong with you and you fall into the 'unexplained infertility' category they usually jump to clomid or IUI.

Best of luck with your appointment, I know its scary and the tests are invasive but the important thing is that you're bringing yourselves 1 step closer to your dream of a baby

 

[chefamy1122]

what to expect.... lots of paperwork to fill out! I basically agree with everything FJL said....

 

[Loula]

At our first one we did the form filling, took a history from us both, ( had already had prelim bloods done and SA for hubby) and then trundled me off for an internal scan ( and snuck in a smear while I was there!) and then basically they shunted us off for another 6mths, so be prepared that this is highly likely to happen, dependent on age and circs of course.

At next appt he lined up another SA ( as hubby is now on lifelong meds) and an HSG for me - we were in and out in less than 5 mins.

At most recent he reviewed the test results and ordered another blood test for progesterone, am going on clomid if prog is still low and said next step is referral to the assisted conception unit where we will have IUI.

 

[loopylew]

Thanks girls that was really helpful, looking forward to moving forward but sounds like im gonna go through the mill , totally worth it though xx

 

[maz]

Hi loopy

My GP had done day 21 bloods, and DH had a SA done before referring us to the hospital. When we got to the hospital the first appt was really just a fact find session - general details regarding our general health, meds, previous history, family history, last smear test date, and then an internal was done. They were pretty much able to rule out pcos and fibroids at that stage, but wanted to confirm it by doing a HSG which was done in the first half of my next cycle. I also had swabs taken for chlamydia, which is routine procedure - so don't worry if they suggest this. After the HSG was done, we got a callback two months later to be told all was well and they were referring us to the regional fertility centre - there is only one hospital that has government funding for assisted conception and we weren't at it. We've had our first consultation at that clinic, I've had day 3 bloods done and DH has had another SA done. We've just had our review done so we're now officially on the waiting lists.

I know I've gone right through all of my tests with you, but getting to this point has taken just under 9 months from my initial contact with my GP. It's not a particularly quick journey but at least you're off and running.

Good luck with your appointment, and keep us informed. If you've any questions I'm sure there's plenty of girls here who can share their experiences.

 

[FunnyBunny]

I agree with what the other ladies have said - lots of forms filling and questions on the first visit. Just a quick word of advice - be prepared for the wait between appointments and the seemingly worthless visits just for results which don't seem to progress things but hopefully things will progress quickly for you.

Good luck for 17th.

xx

 

[Loula]

At our first one we did the form filling, took a history from us both, ( had already had prelim bloods done and SA for hubby) and then trundled me off for an internal scan ( and snuck in a smear while I was there!) and then basically they shunted us off for another 6mths, so be prepared that this is highly likely to happen, dependent on age and circs of course.

At next appt he lined up another SA ( as hubby is now on lifelong meds) and an HSG for me - we were in and out in less than 5 mins.

At most recent he reviewed the test results and ordered another blood test for progesterone, am going on clomid if prog is still low and said next step is referral to the assisted conception unit where we will have IUI.

Just wanted to add this has taken 12 months

 

[loopylew]

Did you feel like at least something was being done? i will prepare DH for the wait cos he thinks they'll hopefully sort us out relatively quickly as we know i have a short luteal phase and that is the problem plus irregular cycles. Did any of you girls have short luteal phases?

 

[maz]

My luteal phase is between 14 & 16 days usually and my cycle is very regular so unfortunately I don't know what they will do to improve your luteal phase length. Good luck for July hun

xx

 

[FJL]

With the waiting it really depends on the FS and the tests they want to do.

I have a friend who was in the same boat as DH and I and she was put straight onto IVF with NO tests which I think is wrong because there is no point investing so much physcially, emotionally and financially when she could've had endometriosis or something in which case they would want to do some work on her to give her better chances.

I am glad that our old FS had me go through so many tests because now we know for sure we're only dealing with male factor.

The waiting does really suck. We decided to do 6 months accupuncture at first (which didn't do jack shit) then we made the FS appointment, had to wait 1 month to get in, then had to wait 6 weeks for surgery, then 2 weeks after surgery, then a 1 month wait to see new FS (well it was a phone appt) then another 2 months to get in to see him, now I have to wait for my period, then be on the pill for 3 weeks, then shots for 3 weeks, then egg collection, wait 5 days for embryo transfer then wait the dreaded 11 days to hear if i'm pregnant or not.

So it is a HUGE waiting game.

I am so bloody fed up with waiting!!!

And yes, i've always felt somewhat upbeat when we have an appt or test coming up because I know it will bring us 1 step closer to what we hope to be the end result...a baby.

I wish you so much luck LL hopefully all you need are some fertility drugs that will bring you an instant BFP!!!

If you have any more questions or want someone to talk to about any of this (which is so incredibly hard I know!) then please PM me!

 

[bird24]

I have my appointment on Aug 27th and i'm crapping it to be honest

I had a LAP done last month and they found mild endo. managed to remove it for now but usually it comes back after 6-9 months....

i had my 21 day blood test last month which actually ended up being on DPO 9 and was 27.4 which i dont think was that great being on DPO 9 instead of DPO 7 so i think i need to go back again this month to see if its changed as i'm temping and have a better idea of when i have ovulated now - what levels did you guys that have had it done get?

THANKS AND GOOD LUCK EVERYONE

xxx

 

[Loula]

make sure theyb are doing it at the right time Bird, it has to be 7 days BEFORE your AF is expected, not 7dpo as some think. SO for instance, for me, it worked out at cd25 as I have a 32 day cycle.

LL now I haven't got a short LP, hopefully that is something which can be remedied easily with medications. Have you read up on taking b vitamins? That apparently can lengthen a short LP. ( how short is short by the way?)

 

[bird24]

Nah my LP is 14 days, i ovulated at a different time last month tho so it was done 5 days before AF and not 7 days before xxx

 

[Loula]

sorry the short LP comment was for the OP lol

anyway, back to you if it was done 5 days b4 AF that could be why it was under 30 as the 7th day before AF is the optimum day to do it as it fades off after then apparently.

 

[bird24]

Oh right....ok thanks
Need to have it done again on the correct day then

My doctor just came back and said...yep normal....that was it....sometimes they are useless

Thanks

 

[maz]

When i had my day 21 bloods done, I phoned for the results and I'm sure the receptionist read it out as 46.9 but having read other postings about this i think i might be confused. I guess for me its pretty irrelevant anyhow as I've been told that my cycle is regular, i ovulate every month and my hormone levels are good - so god only knows why i'm not preggers.

xx

 

[FJL]

When i had my day 21 bloods done, I phoned for the results and I'm sure the receptionist read it out as 46.9 but having read other postings about this i think i might be confused. I guess for me its pretty irrelevant anyhow as I've been told that my cycle is regular, i ovulate every month and my hormone levels are good - so god only knows why i'm not preggers.

xx

Has your husband had a sperm analysis done? Might be time to see a specialist and get some assisted conception if you're willing to do that hun. 4 years is a long time to try without results


Sorry to hijack your thread LL!

 

[maz]

Has your husband had a sperm analysis done? Might be time to see a specialist and get some assisted conception if you're willing to do that hun. 4 years is a long time to try without results


Sorry to hijack your thread LL!

Hiya

DH has had 2 SA done now and he's normal - although he says he's a little disappointed not to be superb!! We had all the tests done at the hospital we want to go to for the birth and have now been referred to the regional fertility clinic that has the NHS funding for IVF. We had our review appointment last week after DH's second SA and my day 3 bloods, so now we are on the waiting list. We are going for a 'private' cycle of IVF hopefully at the end of this year, and then we should get our NHS one 6 months after that (fingers crossed the one cycle does us). When I say 'private' i actually mean that we cover the NHS costs to buy any free slots they have - to go totally private would cost us twice as much and maybe only see us getting treatment 3 months earlier.

I see you're very close to getting your treatment started - that's brilliant news - bet you can't wait.

xx